My friend Harry Karis of Holland is taking a year off from the medical profession to write a book about Châteauneuf-du-Pape. He flew into Bordeaux and brought a number of wines for me and my friends to taste.
I should start off by saying that my knowledge of CdP is pretty cursory and the following, rather sketchy notes are my subjective reactions rather than any attempt to make a professional appraisal. Furthermore, I was cooking and serving a meal for 8...
We kicked off with 2 white wines and some Chinese starters (egg rolls, shrimp in batter, stuffed crab shells, etc.).
The 2005 Ch. Beaucastel Blanc was a type of wine I am not familiar with and it was not really for me. Although well-structured and obviously "serious," I found it too angular and unyielding with some petrol characteristics. Perhaps I simply need to become more familiar with the white Rhône varieties to relate to wines like this, or perhaps the wine needs to age.
On the other hand, I really like the 2001 Clos Mont Olivet blanc. This had Burgundian overtones and was smooth and rich. A class act.
We had lamb shanks with:
- 2004 Clos des Papes. I had a minority opinion on this one. I found apple flavours that made me wonder about some sort of troubled fermentation (or re-fermentation), but Harry tells me that it tasted the way it ought to. I have only had this wine once before, from the 1982 vintage, and have a very fine memory of that. I have one bottle each of the 98 and 00 in my cellar.
- 2005 "Pur" from Domaine de Barroche. This wine had me foxed. At first I thought it tasted like a monster Zinfandel, but with more distinction, or like one of those Douro reds that taste like Port minus the sugar and a couple of degrees alcohol. Harry advises against decanting 100% Grenache wines or aerating them too much. All I know is that that wine changed markedly over time, developing beautiful, deep black and red fruit aromas. I really couldn't compare this to anything I've had before, and that was certainly part of the pleasure!
- 1989 Ch. Beaucastel: this wine is something a Bordeaux lover can relate to. It has structure, style, and good tannin. At 19 years of age it is in its prime.
With cheese, we had:
- 2004 Pegau: These people apparently make several cuvees and have great press. I was bitterly disappointed with 2 bottles of Pegau I had bought a while back (I had to dump them down the drain), and Harry confirmed that they have had a few problems along the way with bottling over a very long (too long) period. However, this specimen was earthy and delicious.
I am of the opinion that CdP is one of those wines that tastes very good either young or old.
I started out with a prejudice that CdP could not possibly be on the same plane as a fine Bordeaux or Burgundy. Did I come away convinced that this is not true?
Yes and no...
I probably need to dig deeper and taste more old wines to answer that question.
One thing is certain: these wines are getting more expensive and are increasingly in vogue.
Wines for our times? Quite possibly.
Best regards,
Alex R.